The Usborne Academy

In 2018 we launched The Usborne Academy Week, an opportunity for young people, from groups currently under-represented in publishing, to spend a fully immersive week at Usborne and experience daily life across a range of different departments and functions including editorial, design, marketing, PR,  sales, rights and digital.

Across the first two years of The Usborne Academy Week, we hosted 16 young people who all reported having a really useful experience: leaving Usborne with a better understanding of what happens inside a publishing company, and more confidence to apply for a job in the publishing industry.

Due to Covid, we were unable to run The Usborne Academy in 2020. Instead, we partnered with Access Aspiration, to provide virtual 'employer encounters' with sixth form students from within their network of over 300 London state secondary schools.

In 2021, having taken on board feedback from partners, consultants and our wider communities, we redeveloped The Usborne Academy and partnered exclusively with Access Aspiration to provide students from their network of 16-18 year-olds the opportunity to join us, at our offices each October, for a week-long immersive experience to go behind-the-scenes at Usborne, getting hands-on in a range of departments and finding out what we do, and why we do it.

We subsequently offer our Academy students more focussed one-to-one work experience opportunities should they wish, to further develop their knowledge and exposure to what we believe is an exciting, creative and collaborative industry.

With the focus on students who are exploring career opportunities our Academy emphasis is now to expose students to the entire publishing life cycle, spending hands on time with our staff undertaking real life tasks. With a curated book shops visit, expert masterclass with a careers counsellor and opportunities to speed network with every business function we aim to have students leave us with a rounded understanding of Publishing as well as useful careers guidance, connections and friendships.

We hope that by working closely with Access Aspiration and its network of London secondaries, we are able to inspire a new generation of extremely talented young people to pursue publishing as a career in the future.

_{The Usborne Academy 8 from 2018 get a personal book signing session with author Holly Bourne}